1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions and processes for manufacturing printed electronics, and more particularly to compositions and methods for printing electronic materials onto a substrate using a piezo-electric printer.
2. Brief Description of the Art
The implementation of cost-effective consumer electronic device manufacture has led to the investigation of new IC and PC patterning processes. Photolithography, the mainstay of IC manufacturing for the past 30 years, has been challenged recently by the need for more forgiving patterning environments, such as for manufacture of flat panel and flexible displays, LED displays, electronic paper, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS), and the like. Novel patterning techniques, such as MicroStamping, NanoImprint, and Inkjet patterning, have received much focused attention. In recent years, improvements in inkjet dispensing, specifically derived from decrease in inkjet drop size, have vaulted this technology into the forefront of methodologies employed for high volume consumer electronic device manufacture, primarily for color filters and addressable ICs used in large format flat panel displays. The result has been development of ink-jet fabrication architectures collectively known as printed electronics.
Currently available polymeric blends for use in conventional photolithographic device manufacturing are designed primarily to dry by spinning in a process known as film casting, and are adjusted to have specific viscosity and surface tension parameters that are compatible with these techniques. However, these materials are not compatible with ink-jet devices. The properties of the materials, particularly the viscosity, surface tension, and evaporation rate, cause clogging of the nozzles used to apply the material to substrates. What is needed in the art are materials that can be implemented with ink-jet printers so that device manufacturers can take full advantage of the newly developed printed electronics techniques. This invention is believed to be a solution to that need.